Needle Nose Flyer · Twice a month · One minute to read
Worth knowing news for California’s independent hardware and building supply dealers.
June 25th, 2026
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🏠 Insurance Commissioner Race Is Down to Two
California’s insurance commissioner race is down to two Democrats: consumer advocate Jane Kim, who’s pushing a single-payer public disaster insurance program, and state Senator Ben Allen, who favors shoring up the private market through risk reduction and home hardening. They face off in November.
👉 The point: The bigger story may not be insurance costs. Home hardening is an emerging market hiding in plain sight — and whoever wins this race could determine how fast it arrives.
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ALSO …
Dunn Lumber CEO Mike Dunn is posting a provocative anti-sex-buying banner at his Aurora Avenue store in Seattle as part of a broader campaign targeting buyers rather than victims, timed to the influx of FIFA World Cup visitors.
South Bay Hardware in Redondo Beach was burglarized twice in under 48 hours, with thieves making off with power tools, batteries, and cash — nearly $40,000 in losses — just before Father’s Day weekend.
Trial lawyers are exploiting California’s outdated Invasion of Privacy Act — written decades before the internet — to sue small businesses over routine website tools like chat features and analytics. A growing coalition is backing SB 690 to stop it.
📦 Do it Best doubled overnight. What now?
Speaking at the Global DIY-Summit in Amsterdam, Dan Starr reflected on the True Value acquisition that instantly took the cooperative from roughly 4,500 to 9,000 locations worldwide. His focus reintroducing the True Value brand to younger homeowners who’ve never heard of Pat Summerall.
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CHANGES
🟡 Change – The operator of Chase Ace stores (Pacifica, San Rafael, Santa Rosa) has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization under Subchapter V, a streamlined process designed specifically for small businesses intending to restructure and continue operating.
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SEEN
Dripless reposted a classic video on their socials earlier this month. That rabbit hole led me here.
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Edited by Matt Rogers
California Retail Hardware Association
Needle Nose Flyer is a twice-monthly news digest for California independent hardware, lumber, and home improvement dealers, published by the California Retail Hardware Association.
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